Finding Duusu
by LillieGranger-Agreste
Summary: Nooroo comes to his friends for help when he realises a girl from his village has gone missing. Kwamis as humans - origin story. SugarSocks and NoorooxDuusu (in later chapters). May contain mistakes. Please leave a review, I'd really appreciate it and I hope you like the story!
1. An Odd Exchange Of Words

Tikki is currently a Kwami, but she wasn't always this way. As a human girl living in China, her adventure began almost 14 000 years ago when she was learning pottery with her mother.

"You must be gentle with the clay, Tikki, don't force it." Her mother laughed. The clay wouldn't shape itself like she wanted it to and it was beginning to get frustrating. For as long as she'd been at it she would have thought she'd have at least one successful attempt by now but it seemed she had a long way to go until she could replicate the intricate designs that her mother used.

"I give up mama, I shall never be as good as you." She sighed.

"Of course you will. You just need practice is all." Her mother smiled, "Now go play with your friends, I'm sure they've been waiting for ages."

Tikki immediately ran out the house calling a quick 'thanks mama' behind her. She followed the familiar paths leading up to the edge of the woods, her feet disturbing the dust as she ran. The cookies she had made rattled in her bag. Praying they weren't broken, she quickly opened her bag to peer inside and felt the wind leave her lungs as she collided with an old man. The cookies fell on the floor, definitely broken now. The strange man spoke in a voice like silk, "Oh dear. I hope they weren't for an important occasion?" He asked.

"No, don't worry mister, they probably didn't taste that good anyway." Tikki laughed. 'What a funny old man' she thought. He was dressed in rags yet must have had substantial wealth because he was carrying a cart full of every possible item of jewellery. Catching the focus of her gaze, the old man's eyes began to twinkle with a wisdom that only a person possessing magic could have.

"Those cookies were for your friends, yes? I am terribly sorry for ruining them. Perhaps you could take something from the cart for your friends to make up for it?" He smiled. She didn't know where to start, there was too much to choose from! Although she did find a nice pair of spotted earrings and soon after that she found a ring, as well as a couple of brooches, a comb, a necklace and a bracelet.

"I don't know how to thank you, mister! Are you sure you don't mind me taking these?" She asked.

"Not at all, just never let them fall into the wrong hands Tikki, these may seem like ordinary pieces of jewellery but they have great power and I sense you will soon need them. Farewell, and if you are ever in any trouble, I live at the mouth of the river, opposite the farm."

"How did you know my name was Tikki, Sir? Mister?" But he was gone. It was without a doubt the most mysterious occurrence that had ever happened to her but she wasn't about to complain. Feeling quite satisfied with her new possessions, she once again set off down the dusty road, hoping her friends were still waiting. And she was right.

"Hey sugarcube." Called Plagg as Tikki cringed.

"Don't call me that!"

"Uh oh, are you guys having another lovers quarrel?" Pollen taunted until she was met by two pairs of very annoyed eyes. Realising that annoying her friends was probably not the best idea, she quickly changed the subject. "So Tikki, what you got there?"

"I was going to bring some cookies but I ran into an old man and they all broke so he gave me all these pieces of jewellery. I've got something for each of you." She handed out the beautiful, mysterious items. They all made noises of appreciation and fascination, none of them had ever seen such beautiful work after all.

"Thank you Tikki, it's most kind of you. Now friends, what game shall we play?" Asked Wayzz.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe… tag, you're it!" squealed Trixx, tapping Nooroo on the shoulder and running away.

Nooroo sighed and rolled his eyes before chasing his friends. The six of them played for ages at the edge of the woods: Tikki, Plagg, Wayzz, Nooroo, Pollen and Trixx. Chasing each other, laughing and getting seriously winded until they all just collapsed on the grass and watched the sun set.

"If you guys could have one power what would it be?" asked Pollen. They had a habit of having these odd conversations when they got exhausted, which always led to some very interesting nights.

"Creation." Tikki answered first.

"Illusion."

"Transmission."

"Protection."

Came the replies of Trixx, Nooroo and Wayzz consecutively.

"You're all so boring. I think I'll go the opposite to my sugarcube and say destruction." Laughed Plagg, emphasising the word sugarcube just to see Tikki scrunch her face up in the way she always did when she was angry while the others giggled. Unlike Tikki, they liked Plagg's nickname for her, it summed her up perfectly. The six of them talked and laughed like this for ages until one by one they had to go back home leaving just Nooroo, Plagg and Tikki. There seemed to be something troubling Nooroo.

"Is something wrong Nooroo?" Asked Plagg, "Should I sing a song for you?" Plagg didn't wait for a reply before singing out of tune, without melody and awfully off key. Basically he screamed.

'Oh Nooroo, don't be sad! You're our best friend and we love yooooou, Noorooooooooo.'

"Plagg stop. That's obviously not helping. What's the matter Nooroo, do you want to talk about it?" Tikki tried to reconcile her friend.

"There's this girl in my village called Dusuu and she's been missing for a few days now and I'm getting worried." He said, wiping tears off his face.

"I'm so sorry Nooroo, that's awful." Was all Tikki could say to make her friend feel better.

"That's not that bad, if she's only missing we can look for her! You guys can make a plan tonight and tell me in the morning. I'm going home so I can sleep, all this running's made me tired. Night sugarcube, night Nooroo." Plagg added unhelpfully. The mischievous boy ran off leaving the two of them to ponder over his suggestion.

"Sorry about Plagg. He means well but he can be a little annoying at times. I think he may be right though, we can make a plan to look for this Dusuu and get all our friends to help. This girl has to be somewhere Nooroo, I know we can find her."

Tikki's mind was already formulating ideas but she wasn't the clever one of the group. Finding this girl would require teamwork, cunning and communication but there was no doubt they would succeed. The other option didn't bare thinking about. It was with that heavy thought Tikki trudged the long road home, her new earrings already embedded in her ears.


	2. An Odd Discovery Of Magic

**A/N Thank you to everyone who's still reading, there's more Sugarsock in this chapter so I hope you like it. Please leave a review if there's anything you want to see more or less of, I'm all ears. I know I take ages to write new chapters, it's because I'm writing three fics at once. Hope you like the story!**

The first thing Plagg did when he got out of bed was eat. He was from a wealthy family so each meal was a feast. Especially breakfast, which was never half done in his household. Platters of eggs, gammon, warm bread, hundreds of different cheeses and the like would fill the dining room and it would usually take up the majority of his morning to eat it all. Tikki and the others knew this of course so were not surprised when he arrived late.

"Thank you for joining us stinky sock."

Aw how sweet, his little sugar-cube was trying to get back at him for the nickname he gave her. Well it wasn't his fault sugar-cube suited her so perfectly. But he had to admit, stinky sock was quite a good one on her part. He got the feeling it would grow on him.

"Anytime sugar-cube! So what's the plan guys?"

"The last time I saw Duusuu was 3 days ago. There's only one path that leads away from the village and it leads into enemy territory. If she's left the village, it will be through there. I don't think she will have reached the border yet but there's not much time until she does. I hope she's alright. Something awful might have happened to her." exclaimed Nooroo, tears pricking his eyes.

"You mustn't worry Nooroo, we won't let anything happen to her." Wayzz tried to comfort him. Meanwhile the cogs were turning in Tikki's brain.

"Guys, what about the jewels? The man told me they had a special power maybe we could use them-"

"To find her, Tikki you're a genius!" Cried Trixx, "The man who gave them to you, what did he tell you?"

Tikki hadn't forgotten a single word he had said. How could she? It was the weirdest conversation she'd ever had in her life, she would never forget it as long as she lived.

"He said he lived at the mouth of the river, opposite the farm."

"Aw my little sugarcube's so smart! Well it looks like you've got everything under control. I'm gonna go, this is too tiring."

Tikki was starting to get really annoyed at Plagg. And she wasn't the only one.

"Not so fast Plagg. We need to work together on this." Said Pollen, always about teamwork. Tikki knew that what Pollen was saying wasn't going to make Plagg stay. Her friend was scared and when Plagg got scared, he ran, pretending it was because he was too lazy. Luckily, Tikki knew exactly what to say to change his mind.

"Plagg, there'll be food, do you really need anymore reason to come? And we need you. I need you."

Plagg mulled over this in his head. He couldn't resist free food, not to mention the girl he may have started to like as a bit more than a friend was pleading with him. He'd do anything for Tikki. He cared about her a lot, not that he'd tell her of course, he couldn't ruin his reputation as a carefree, independent spirit.

"Alright, alright I'll come, but only because there's food. Geez you guys are so needy." He joked while secretly hoping he wouldn't regret this.

'As long as there was Camembert, it would be worth it' he thought to himself as the six friends set off for the old man's house. It was only a few minutes into the trek when his sugar-cube pulled him aside.

"Plagg, I saw the way you tried to make Nooroo feel better yesterday, I just want to tell you that I know you're only pretending to not care because you're scared that people will see your vulnerable side. If you want to talk about anything-"

"Nuh huh. I'm just here for the food. There's nothing I want to talk about so why don't you leave me alone Tikki?" He felt guilty the second the words came tumbling out of his stupid mouth. Tikki was right, he didn't want people to see his vulnerable side, it had been hammered hidden deep inside him by his father since birth but he'd be damned if she found out or worse, if she ever felt sorry for him. Looking at Tikki's face contorted with hurt did not ease his guilt yet he knew he couldn't open up to her. Not yet. The pain was too recent, too real. Tikki just glared at him and turned on her heels to join the rest of his friends. They stayed well away from him the remainder of the journey which eventually came to an end when they found the house not even an hour later.

It was a dusty old place with peeling paint and a door on its hinges, yet there was something about how the fog swirled around it and the windows glistened in the Sun that gave it the sense of something… magical. Maybe the man was a wizard or just simply an old craftsman. Either way, they were about to find out. There was no knocker on the door so they creeped it open and stepped inside.

If outside was magical, then inside was an epicentre for magic. In the middle of the room hovered a cauldron just a little way off the ground with a ladle swirling the steaming potion in it, tiny winged creatures were trapped in wooden cages with incantations etched into them and on the rickety table in the corner were seven dolls made of straw. The six friends took all this in with astonished looks and suspicious glances until they were welcomed by the old man who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

"Pleasant evening, is it not? I was wondering when I'd see you six. The fates told me you're looking for your friend and I'm sorry to say she is in a very precarious situation. She's been taken apparently, by a gang from beyond the mountains. I trust you'll be trying to save her? Well it won't be easy. You have two days to beat them to the border or you won't get her back, not to mention it's a week's journey. Luckily I have just the thing, or rather you do. I trust you have the peacock brooch?"

Tikki's mind was filled with so many questions but she only nodded. Then, to further confuse her, he said, "Good, now fetch me a peacock from the pen outside."

The man's request was directed at Tikki but it was Trixx who said, "I'll do it!"

"I'll come with you!" Pollen volunteered.

The two ran out the door and went to the pen outside the house. The pen itself housed a huge variety of animals from an ox to a rooster and seemed to go on forever which wasn't helped by the mountains of hay preventing the two from seeing much further than a few feet in front of them. In addition to this, the animals seemed to love hiding. It was a long time before they managed to even find the requested peacock, let alone catch it. However when they did see it's sparkling blue and green feathers hiding behind one of the hay stacks, they were in awe. The bird was majestic and proud, beautiful beyond belief. Unfortunately as soon as it saw Pollen and Trixx, it took off, dancing around the room, teasing them, daring them to catch it.

Meanwhile, back in the hut, Tikki was questioning the man.

"Wait, before we even consider going any further, I think you've got some explaining to do. How did you know we'd need to come here? How do you know so much? Why is a peacock involved?"

"And what's the deal with these magic jewels?" Plagg added.

"The Fates told me everything I need to know. Be patient and you'll get the answers to your questions."

This peaked everyone's interest and confusion. Tikki prodded further.

"The fates?"

"The Fates. They see the future, my child, and sometimes they are willing to let me see it."

This man was speaking in nothing but riddles and it was all Tikki could do to take a deep breath to cool the irritation rising within her. She wanted a direct answer so perhaps she should just ask a direct question.

"How does that work?" Was the question she settled on. Suddenly the man grew cold and distant. He walked to his cauldron and added a strange herb that made the potion shimmer silver before flashes of the past played on its shiny surface, dictated by his words.

"I suppose I should at least try to explain. Alright here is my story. When I was a child, my village was raided and I was taken to a temple occupied by a group who called themselves the Faithful. It was their belief that people like me, people who had magic, were blessed by powerful entities called the Fates. These entities often came down to Earth in animal form to bless us and while in animal form their essence could be extracted and incorporated into objects, such as jewellery, to lend the wielder some of their power. People like me are supposedly the only ones who can communicate with them. This is why they took me, they wanted me to act as their mouthpiece. Over the years my anger for the Faithful built up until it could no longer be contained and I escaped. But I kept the knowledge I had gained during my time with them and tried to exact my revenge. I called upon the Fates and trapped them in their animal forms so that they could never instruct their loyal fanatics to harm innocent villagers for the sake of magic-wielders ever again. The peacock I asked your friends to get is a trapped Fate and we will use its power to help get your friend back."

The idea of magic made Tikki's head spin. The idea of powerful entities trapped in this man's back-garden made her head spin more. Her mama had told her stories of course, every child in the province knew the tales of old gods blessing their chosen with magic, but not once had she believed them to be real. Never would she have dreamed she would be in the presence of someone who could destroy everything she thought to be true. As sceptical as she was, she knew there was no other choice but to trust him.

Back in the pen, still trying their luck at catching the peacock, Trixx and Pollen were planning.

"You go that side and I'll go this side. Once we've cornered it, I'll pounce and hold it down while you put the leash around it's neck. Got it?" An exhausted Trixx asked. Pollen nodded in reply.

The two ran around the hay stack where the peacock was waiting and executed the plan. Not wanting to use force to bring the bird into the house, they got some grain and fed it, slowly inching it forwards until they reached the door. They opened it to find the man waiting expectantly.

"Did someone order a peacock?" Trixx grinned.

"Thank you, excellent work children." He said, stroking his beard.

Before the children knew what was happening, he began chanting. His voice resonated in the room, causing the cauldron to boil over and create puffs of smoke. Tikki was in awe and could do nothing but stand and watch. She was still suspicious of course but just this once she decided to cast her doubts aside and take a leap of faith, to trust in the magic that was so obviously being displayed before her. The spectacle was over as soon as it had begun and as the smoke cleared, she wasn't the only one to notice that the peacock had disappeared. She knew she wasn't the only one because she searched everyone's faces to make sure they were seeing the same thing. As they all stood dumbfounded, the man spoke as calmly as if he was talking about the weather.

"The spell seems to have worked. I present to you, the peacock miraculous. May it aid you on your quest to find your friend." Then, upon seeing all their worried glances he added, "Don't worry, the bird was not harmed. It's just been stored in the brooch."

"Thank you sir but how is that even possible? And how can it help us if it's in the brooch?" Wayzz gushed.

"The brooch is bound by magic so the soul trapped inside will fuse with yours and give you superpowers on hearing the words 'transform me'."

"You're joking right?"

The man replied with a weariness that somehow worked to grab the children's attention. There was a hint of danger in his words that made all of their hearts beat just a little bit faster.

"My child I wish I was. There are people out there who would steal these jewels for themselves. You cannot allow that to happen. I'm getting old and soon I will be unable to defend them which is why I am entrusting you and my apprentice, who has promised to be a guardian for them."

"We will try our best." Tikki assured him although secretly she was feeling a little nervous.

It was all starting to get a bit overwhelming. For the first time the thought that they might actually die on this quest to find Duusuu crossed her mind. Fortunately, the ever observant Trixx saw the fear hiding beneath her eyes.

"You ok Tikki?"

"Yeah it's just starting to become real. We could actually die out there." Came her reply. The beginnings of this conversation were overheard by Pollen who rushed forward to comfort her.

"But we won't. We make a pretty good team you know, and a good team can accomplish anything."

Tikki only half believed those words but despite her feelings she found herself saying, "You're right, we can do this."

In the heat of the mid-afternoon Sun they began preparations for their journey. It wasn't long before they were ready to set off, peacock miraculous in hand. And set off they did. Full of hope and determination fuelled by a steadfast friendship that, little did they know, would help them to survive one of the most perilous journeys to ever be undertaken by six young children.


	3. An Odd Feeling of Uncertainty

"How much further?" Plagg whined.

Tikki rolled her eyes. He'd been asking the same question for the last hour and she wasn't sure how much she could take.

"Plagg, you're beginning to sound like a child! It's going to be at least two days before we reach the border, I can't tell you more than that."

He huffed in response. As if she was the one being annoying.

"Fine. Do you know where the food is that I was promised?"

"You ate it all." Said Tikki, her patience wearing thin.

Plagg let out a groan and clutched his stomach.

As she watched, she began to feel a little sorry for him which was the only reason she said, "Ok fine, you can have some of mine."

She unwrapped a small brown parcel full of Camembert and broke off a piece to give to him. He ate it in one gulp but was satisfied, at least for the moment.

When Tikki looked back at the path ahead of her she saw they'd come across an old, decrepit bridge. It was barely managing to hang over a huge chasm that was at least 3000 ft deep. They paused, debating whether or not to cross it until a shrill shriek came over the hills behind them and made their decision. From far off, it looked like a siren. She was enchantingly beautiful but that wouldn't distract from the fact that she sounded like a banshee that was going to kill them any moment.

"Run! You guys go first. If she gets here before you all get a chance to cross, I'll keep her busy." Cried Wayzz. They were hesitant to abandon their friend but there was no time to waste if they were all going to make it. Trixx was first at the bridge.

"Follow my lead guys, and not all at once." she said, the image of calm although in reality she was anything but.

Getting to the other end of the bridge required an intricate balance of precision and well… balance. Fortunately for Trixx she was swift and light on her feet. Before she knew it she was on the other side with Pollen following shortly after. Then Tikki, Plagg and Nooroo until Wayzz was the only one left to cross the bridge. He started stepping on but the ropes were already beginning to fray. He ran a bit faster and for a moment it seemed like he would make it. He'd outrun the creature and just needed to cross the bridge. Unfortunately, the Universe seemed to have other plans for when he got to the middle the bridge finally snapped. Wayzz screamed as he fell, desperately grasping for anything, anything that could prevent his fate.

From Tikki, who was holding the peacock brooch, a blue light flashed as a winged creature was released from it. It soared down towards Wayzz and caught him in its claws. Everyone's mouths were agape in shock. The creature batted its wings and soared over the edge of the drop and the children could all see just how huge it really was. It lowered its wings and brought Wayzz to safety on their side of the bridge while the creature unleashed one last cry before turning back, realising she could never hope to cross the chasm.

"Wayzz! Are you ok? Did you get hurt? Do you need to sit down?" Gushed Pollen.

"You stayed behind to protect us Wayzz, how can we ever thank you?" Trixx cried, rushing to hug him. Wayzz took a moment to reply, still in shock. Once his heart slowed down enough he spoke.

"Of course I did, you're my friends. But what was that… that thing that came out of the peacock brooch Tikki?"

She also took a while to reply.

"I wish I could tell you. It just started glowing bright blue and then, well, the monster flew out and saved you."

He raised his eyebrows, impressed and very, very grateful that _something_ had been able to save him.

"So the man wasn't lying then. That brooch must be insanely powerful if it can do _**that**_."

They all nodded but Pollen caught sight of the Sun, already beginning to hang low in the sky.

"Guys we've got plenty of time to figure it out but we've still got a lot of distance to cover."

"Pollen's right, we've got to keep moving." Nooroo agreed, although he was anxious to get moving for a different reason. The quicker they got to the border, the quicker his slightly-more-than-a-friend would be safe. They all patted Wayzz on the back and set on their way, constantly asking Wayzz whether he was ok. Nooroo, Wayzz, Pollen and Trixx had quickened their pace, leaving Plagg and Tikki walking just behind them. Plagg had to admit he was happy to get a moment to talk to Tikki alone.

"So sugarcube, what do you think that thing was?"

Tikki was very conscious of the fact that he seemed to be trying to have a normal conversation for once.

"I have no idea Plagg. It just seemed to appear when we needed it. One thing's for sure though, it's definitely magic, but this is beyond anything I could ever have dreamed!" Her voice became a squeak as she got excited by the prospect of real live magic being in her possession.

"Is that because you're always dreaming of me sugarcube?" Plagg flirted.

Tikki rolled her eyes. Moment gone then. But secretly she liked his flirting. And the truth was, he had been in her dreams an awful lot lately. More than she cared to admit.

"Plagg!" She smiled as she chastised. Plagg batted his eyelashes, feigning innocence.

"What? I'm curious. It was a perfectly innocent question."

"Sure it was, and macaroons aren't delicious."

If I got a gold coin for every time I wanted to roll my eyes at Plagg, Tikki thought, I'd be the richest girl on the planet.

"They aren't if I'm making them. I don't actually know how to cook." He whispered conspiratorially.

"Well I'm a great teacher, I'll happily teach you sometime."

His eyes lit up as if she'd offered him a lifetime supply of Camembert.

"I'd like that sugarcube." He looked like he sincerely meant it.

"You've got it stinky sock." Tikki found herself smiling constantly that late afternoon.

They walked for a couple more hours until they came across a cobbled path leading up to a dark, looming castle which was awfully convenient. Especially since the Sun has started to paint the sky brilliant shades of purple, orange, red and yellow. Pollen stopped walking.

"We should stay here for the night."

"Yay! I've always wanted to live in a large castle. Either that or a huge mansion with lots of secret passages and secret rooms and it would be packed with butterflies!" He paused sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself."

"You can always stay with me Nooroo." Plagg offered.

Nooroo blushed, "Thank you Plagg, that's really kind."

Once everyone was out of ear shot, Tikki couldn't help asking.

"Plagg, did I catch you being nice to Nooroo?"

He sputtered as if in surprise but it was hardly believable.

"Hahaha no, why would you say such a thing? I just don't want him yabbering about castles and mansions that's all. I figured if he lived in one for a while he might shut up."

Tikki smiled. Maybe Plagg really did have a sweet side.

"It's ok Plagg. Your secret's safe with me. I think it's nice that you actually care about someone other than yourself, even though you pretend not to."

Plagg blushed knowing she had no idea how much he cared about his friends, especially her.

The seven of them trudged up the path to the castle. Tikki and Plagg made sure their beds were right next to each other that night.


End file.
